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Welcome to the Home PageofJames (Jelle) Kooistra

Relaxing on MS ANDANTE during a cruise on Holland's rivers in May 2014

Our house & front yard in Sept.-2014

Introduction

My name is James (Jelle) Kooistra and I hereby extend a hearty welcome to you. I was born in Drogeham, Friesland, and grew up in Surhuisterveen where I attended the Christian Elementary School. I had my high school (Christian MULO) in Drachten where I also received my 4-year teachers training at the Christian Teachers College ‘Koningin Juliana Kweekschool’. I taught for one year on the island of Rozenburg near Rotterdam.
In 1956 Alice (Ali van der Meulen) and I came to Canada. After 2 years of first doing construction work, and then working in a bank in Chatham, I began to teach in 1958 at the Christian School in Jarvis, Ontario. In 1963 we moved to Brantford, Ontario, where I became the first principal of the new Brantford Christian School. In 1970 the Lord led us to Williamsburg, Ontario, where I was teacher and principal of Timothy Christian School for 22 years. I retired from teaching at the end of 1992.
The Lord blessed us with 5 children and today we have 9 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. Our oldest son Henry (1958-1978) was killed in a car accident on his way to a Youth Service. The accident was caused by a drunk driver. Losing Henry in this way was a difficult time for all of us, but the Lord helped us get through it.
Both of us have been quite involved with the Christian Schools in Ontario and also with the Christian Reformed Church. As a family we also cleaned the Christian School for approx. 20 years. Alice has been quite involved with the Ladies Society, often as president, and I served 4 three-year-terms as an elder. I also served as stated clerk of Classis E. Canada for 14 years, as clerk of our local church council for 9 years and as a lay preacher in the Christian Reformed Church since 1978. I feel privileged that I was allowed to do that. In the ‘90s I served 6-year-terms as a boardmember of the Ont. Alliance of Christian Schools and also on the board of Redeemer University College in Ancaster.
Genealogy has been my great hobby for many years and I now have far over 100,000 names in my computer, mostly from the County of Achtkarspelen in the Prov. of Friesland. I have information on many different families. A list of those families I researched, can be found under FAMILIES in the INDEX. For approx. 9 years I have written a bi-weekly column on genealogy, covering quite a number of families under the title “OP ZOEK NAAR ROOTS” in a local newspaper of Surhuisterveen. These articles are written in the Frisian language. A list of them can be found under the title ROOTS in the INDEX.
When I retired from teaching at the end of 1992, that did not mean I was going to sit still. We have a big house, a large yard and also a fairly big garden. I also maintain a huge supply of wood for our 2 hungry woodstoves.
Since 2005 I have been the clerk of our local CRC church-council, and from 2011-2014 I also served as the ‘Elder for the Elderly’. A few years ago I became a member of the local Board of the Williamsburg Non-Profit Housing Corp. (WNPHC) This corporation owns and operates 38 apartments for seniors and also a Seniors Support Centre which offers Support Services to older people who still live in their own dwelling. The corporation also owns and operates 2 group homes for developmentally challenged adults. During 2008-2009 the corporation added an additional 20 new townhouses for younger seniors with modest incomes. In August of 2009 I became the chairman of the board which added to my workload, but it has also allowed me to function in the broader community. My 9-year term on that board ended in 2012. I enjoyed that involvement.
Alice and I are thankful to the Lord that we may still be together and that we may also do some camping and traveling. We are still being blessed abundantly!